SAN DIEGO — After triggering Marshall’s first-ever NCAA tournament victory, Jon Elmore enjoyed the well-wishing tweets from some better-known point guards, Chris Paul and D’Angelo Russell.
Now the upset darlings aim to make more history against a familiar team that owns volumes of it.
“It’s awesome for the university, but we’re not satisfied,” Elmore said before a second-round matchup against the state’s flagship program, West Virginia (25-10).
A win-or-go-home game against the team from back home. They share identical records, the same area code, and the same hopes of advancing to the Sweet 16. “Being from West Virginia allows us to play with more of a chip on our shoulder and play with that extra edge,” Elmore said.
His 27 points led an 81-75 upset of Wichita State, and the 13th-seeded Herd (25-10) will be double-digit underdogs again Sunday night at Viejas Arena. That venue sits 2,300 miles west of the Charleston Civic Center where Marshall and WVU met every season from 1993 until 2016.
“You talk to everybody back home, half of the state’s population is probably flying out here right now for the game,” Elmore said.
Mixing deep shooting range with crafty spins around the basket, Elmore enters as the nation’s ninth-leading scorer (22.9 per game). He’s sure to face constant harassment from Jevon Carter, the reigning NABC defensive player of the year.
“He can score many different ways,” said Carter, whose tight defense limited Murray State’s Jonathan Stark to 1-of-12 shooting in the opener. “We’re going to key in on him, team defense, just like we did against Murray State.”
Whereas “Press Virginia” frequently aims to speed up opponents into reckless turnovers, Marshall already embraces a freeway-style attack, playing at the seventh-fastest pace in the country according to KenPom.
Coach Dan D’Antoni, taking cues from the rapid-fire offense his brother Mike utilized in the NBA, encourages players to play loosely without worrying about a quick hook. With C.J. Burks, Ajdin Penava and Elmore combing for more than 58 points per game, the Herd ranks 10th in scoring and sixth in 3-point attempts.
“They do a terrific job with spacing,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. “I think Danny probably does as good of a job of spacing as anybody we have in coaching.”
D’Antoni favors his free-flowing system precisely for matchups like this against physically superior talent. He joked about scouting West Virginia with his eyes closed after noticing how big they were. Could crisp passing and a spread floor could mitigate the talent gap and propel Marshall into the Sweet 16?
“We’re not as athletic and big, but they’re not as fast as that ball,” he said. “So we can get the ball moving it will give our 3-point shooters angles to get ’em off. Now you get two, we get three, you get two, we get three, we win!”
The Mountaineers lead 33-11 in the all-time series against Marshall, winning nine of the last 10. While fans talk smack and the buzz swells back in the Mountain State, Carter shrugged off the storyline. He said there’s no motivation necessary beyond leading West Virginia to its third Sweet 16 in four seasons.
“Don’t matter,” he insisted. “This is March. We’re here to win a national championship. It just happens that we just matched up against Marshall. Don’t matter who it is. We’re going to come to play.”
West Virginia (25-10) vs. Marshall (25-10)
Tipoff: Sunday, 9:40 Eastern in San Diego (TBS)
The skinny: After beating steep odds in its first tournament victory, Marshall aims for a rare achievement in Round 2. Only six No. 13 seeds have reached the Sweet 16 during the 33 years since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams. The Herd hopes to join La Salle (2013), Ohio (2012), Bradley (2006), Oklahoma (1999), Valpo (1998) and Richmond (1988).
Scouting Marshall: Because of his passing skills, Elmore presents a tougher challenge than did Murray State’s Stark. He’s ninth nationally at 6.9 assists per game. … Outrebounded 44-30 by Wichita State, the Herd owns one of the poorest rebounding margins in Division I. … The Hedgesville High grad Burks (20.3 points) shot 6-of-16 against the Shockers yet made four steals. … Ajdin Penava (15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4 blocks) is a 6-9 center who can shoot 3s and drive the ball from the wing. … Freshman guard Jarrod West has started all but one game this season.
Quotable: “I’ve got a ginormous chip on my shoulder. I thought I was under-recruited. I thought I was a high-major player and never got the attention from that level. So that fuels me every time I’m on the court. I want to crush whoever is in front of me. I’m not the strongest, not the tallest, not the most athletic, but when that ball is tipped off I’m going to surprise some people.” — Herd point guard Jon Elmore
Scouting WVU: Along with 17.1 points, Carter’s 6.7 assists rank 12th in the country and his 2.9 steals are second. … After explosive 3-point shooting in the Big 12 tournament, Daxter Miles (12.9 points per game) went 1-of-2 vs. Murray State. … Sagaba Konate (10.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.3 blocks) and Esa Ahmad (10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds) must give WVU an edge on the boards. … Lamont West, now scoreless in seven of 10 career postseason games, has missed his last 11 shots since the Big 12 quarterfinals. … Whereas Marshall is 1-5 all-time in the NCAAs, the Mountaineers are stand 30-28.
Quotable: “I think it’s cool that the whole world is going to get to watch our in-state battle even though it’s all the way out in California.” Mountaineers backup center Logan Routt, a native of Cameron, W.Va.
Line: West Virginia favored by 12.5 points
Prediction: West Virginia 85-77